Help for land managers on greenhouse

Almost a quarter of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions comes from forestry and agriculture, from activities ranging from deforestation and harvesting, to the continuous cultivation of soil.

Now there are tools available to help farmers and other land managers reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

The National Carbon Accounting Toolbox will help track greenhouse gas emissions from forestry and agriculture and identify less emissions-intensive landuse practices. It will help land managers know if planting trees to stabilise soils, protect water quality and provide habitat will also help reduce the amount of greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere.

The Data Viewer is a unique 30-year visual record of landscape and vegetation change in Australia since 1972, generated from satellite images. It allows land managers to zoom in on any location on the Australian continent, including their property, to analyse changes in tree cover, areas for revegetation, where planting has been effective and the extent of areas affected by fire or drought. It also provides access to climate statistics for specific regions, including average rainfall and temperature trends.

The tools were developed by the Australian Greenhouse Office, CSIRO, Australian National University and Geoscience Australia and supported by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).